There's an old saying in ed reform; when the NSBA and AASA want something, it must not be reform. That's the case – again – with their call for blanket waivers from NCLB. Wow, it was just a matter of time till they could get away from the heat in the kitchen.

New Orleans, Louisiana’s (NOLA) ed establishment has mounted a fight they hope carries hurricane force winds to the Big Easy, knocking out the careful and successful repair work of the state’s -- and perhaps the south’s -- worst school system.

The latest Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll results reveal that the American public has an overall positive outlook on its children's schools, although poll respondents seem to oppose online learning. Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, said the PDK/Gallup poll results are somewhat misleading, because of the lack of context that pollsters provide.

While increased student achievement is and should be the major goal of school reform efforts, recent data revealing our students’ lagging civics knowledge - particularly in a time of increased international and national uncertainty - stands out as a continual black mark on the US and thus on its economic and national security.

Center for Education Reform President Jeanne Allen recommends that Secretary Duncan place a stronger emphasis on alternative teacher certification, promote meaningful and data-driven performance pay models, encourage alternate models of teacher tenure, and embrace teacher paycheck protection to ensure that educators take home more of their hard-earned money.